Our Friends in Darkness
by Reqpqarx
Summary: Nico Di Angelo is a lonely kid, troubled by his past. The war with the giants is over, but Nico still wages war with himself. Rose Lalonde is a lonely kid, troubled by her future. The end of the world has already happened, but she has yet to wage the real war. Rated T for suicidal thoughts, and future swearing. Alternate Timeline, but is it a doomed one?
1. Chapter 1: Nico

Nico Di Angelo woke up shaking and alone in the Hades cabin from a nightmare of Tartarus, the worst place he had ever experienced (Which was saying a lot, since Nico had been through a lot). He had dreamt about making a choice, to give in and follow the giants, or die or go insane, or both by the horrors of the pit. He refused to work for Gaea, obviously, but the horrors of the pit rushed to him, ready to tear him apart. Nico had then then woke, sweating profusely. He glanced at his clock that rested at the other end of the room, wrapped in shadows. He liked it that way. Nobody could see time but him (It was his explanation, but really it was so nobody would know when to leave). Nico then had sat up, showered, and got dressed. He put in his favorite aviator's jacket and black jeans. He missed Hazel. She would always be there to comfort him in times of need. The war was over, but they were at opposite camps. He could have chosen the Roman camp, but he felt much too obligated to stay at CHB. As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw a sight he didn't want to see so early in the morning: Percy with Annabeth by the lake, cuddling up to see the sunrise. He held back some air, and took a walk in the woods. Stumbling along, Nico found the spot for the Council of Cloven Elders. He lay down on the half-dead grass, unmoving. Grover had kept some of the grass dead, to keep as a reminder of the old council, and how he would not fall to greed and selfishness. Nico smiled a bit. _Grover may be such a goofball, but at least he was always responsible and straightforward. _Nico just lay there for a while, letting an hour fly by. Almost 8:30, but Nico wasn't really hungry. The sky was waking up, and Nico wasn't ready to deal with the day. _Maybe I could shadow-travel. _Nico thought. _Someplace where I won't be bothered._ _Nobody will have to pretend to enjoy my company. _For a moment, Nico felt truly alone. It was a terrible feeling. One he hated feeling but knew he deserved. He just knew inside that everyone resented him a little bit, and that he would never truly be accepted. Nico felt himself tear up. _Oh shit, not now. _He thought. _No, no, no. Stop now. _But Nico couldn't stop the salty tears as they started to streak down his face. Soon enough he was curled up into a ball and couldn't stop. His sides hurt. He was dehydrated and tired, and didn't really want to deal with these stupid emotions today, or the nagging voice that had been tormenting him recently in his head. He heard a rustle outside the clearing.

"Go away. I'm not in the mood for anything right now." Then a giant scorpion walked out from the bush. It foamed at the mouth, and scuttled towards Nico. Nico didn't do anything to stop the beast. He didn't care enough. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable end, when suddenly the creature hissed in pain and disintegrated. Jason, the mighty son of Jupiter, stood at the edge of the clearing.

"Nico?! Are you hurt?! It didn't sting you did it? Oh gods, are you alright?" Nico slumped over more than he was before, and told Jason to go away.

"Jason, I'm fine, please leave me alone." Jason looked at him, noticing Nico's tear-stained face for the first time and his bloodshot eyes.

"Nico, what's wrong?" Nico shook his head.

"If I promise to tell you later, will you leave me alone for now?" Jason gave him a look, and searched his face for any hints of deception.

"Swear it on the River Styx." Nico groaned but nodded.

"I swear on the River Styx." Thunder rumbled in the distance, pissing off both Nico and Jason. Nico was simply tired of the fact the gods always seeing everything, and Jason was just pissed his **dad **was paying attention. Of all the times, now was when he decided to pay attention? Jason scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"Okay, Nico, I'll see you at dinner, then. Until then try to stay alive, okay?" Nico nodded, then went back to his curled-up position. Despite his earlier thoughts, he wondered if people actually _did _care about him. It didn't really matter. Nico was still a reject and a son of Hades. But he _did _make a promise. So up he rose, and walked to to the edge of the forest, back to the only home he knew.


	2. Chapter 2: Italians

Nico neared the the edge of the forest, almost making it out before stepping on a tree root and twisting his ankle. "SHIT!" Nico yelled as his foot exploded in pain. _Well, there it goes. Never get your hopes up, or something bad will happen_, Nico thought. "REALLY?! COULD THIS DAY BE ANY WORSE?!" Nico violated rule number one of being a demigod: Never say things can't get worse. But Nico didn't care. He really doubted it could. But then Chiron came trotting up, with a blank expression. Nico hated that expression. Chiron had mastered the face so that nobody could tell what he was thinking, other than Rachel. Nico held back his anger. "What do you want, Chiron?"

"Well, I'm sorry to disturb you, my boy, but there is a mortal that somehow got into the camp and I believe he speaks Italian. Would you mind..?"

"Yeah, sure." Nico was the only one who spoke Italian in the entire camp. It was really frustrating. Nico wished he wasn't the only one. It only made him feel even more lonely. They walked to the pavillion where a confused man was sitting, with campers all gathered around the pavilion, giggling at how lost this guy must be if he made it into camp. Nico sighed. It was time for him to guide this man out.

"Ciao , sei hai perso ?" _(Hello, are you lost?)_ The man seemed delighted to hear someone else who could speak Italian.

"Perché , sì, io sono ! Ti capita di sapere dove Manhattan è ?" (Why, yes I am! Would you happen to know where Manhattan is?) Nico nodded.

"Si ' , posso farti un taxi , non hai bisogno di soldi ?" (Yeah, I can get you a cab, do you need money?) The man nodded vigorously.

"Sì , per favore . Sono stato derubato e la mia auto è stata presa . Ho guidato dalla Pennsylvania , e stavo solo prendendo una pausa i comfort più vicine quando qualcuno molto alto si avvicinò e ha preso i miei soldi e le chiavi ! La mia macchina ha avuto tutta la mia roba in troppo .." (Yes, please. I was robbed and my car was taken. I've been driving from Pennsylvania, and I was just taking a break at the nearest facilities when someone really tall came up and took my money and keys! My car had all my stuff in it too..)

"Vieni , Ti prendo a Manhattan , e allora possiamo prendere alla polizia .(Come on, I'll get you to Manhattan, and then we can take you to the police.) Nico was starting to lose his patience a bit. He really wished Italians weren't so talkative. He wasn't the type to really stay and chat.

"Grazie mille , amico ! Non dimenticherò la vostra generosità !" (Thank you so much, friend! I will not forget your generosity!)

"Chiron, we need a hundred dollars. This guy was on his way to Manhattan when he was robbed and lost his car and bags and money. I'll take him to the police." Chiron flicked his tail like he did when he got nervous.

"Alright, but be careful. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Percy are all gone on missions at the moment. The magic barriers of this camp are very weak and unstable right now." This was news to Nico.

"Wait, what? Where are they?" Chiron gave a little sad smile.

"Leo is taking the weekend to reunite with his aunt. I've been trying to get him to do this for awhile, and frankly, he needs this. He left this morning. He had an invention he wanted to show you, but you weren't around." Nico blinked at that. Leo had once taken a joke too far, and Nico and him made peace when Leo promised to never use his inventions against him again. What could Leo possibly want to show him? "Jason and Percy are chasing down a large group of Laistrygonian giants that attacked our borders, and Piper and Annabeth are tracking down a couple of lost baby pegasi." Nico bit his lip.

"It seems like too much of a coincidence that all our best defenders are gone, doesn't it?" Chiron nodded.

"Hurry, and take care of this. I don't feel comfortable with the camp like this. The Ares cabin is pretty much empty as well." Nico got the money from the store, took the Italian man to the road, and asked the italian to look away while he called the grey sisters. In their place a regular yellow taxi cab showed up, just for mortals in situations like these. The drive to Manhattan was a long one, and Nico was getting a little carsick when the Italian man asked his name.

"Nico di Angelo." Nico shook his hand.

"Piacere di conoscerti Nico . Sono Trevor Boerio ." (Nice to meet you Nico. I am Trevor Boerio.) They spoke a little bit, but they neared their destination. It was time that they part ways. Nico was a little disappointed. He was starting to like this guy. "Grazie ancora , Nico . Dovrei vedere di nuovo , te lo renderò grandemente ." (Thank you once again, Nico. Should I see you again, I will repay you greatly.)

"Poi si spera meglio tu non mi vedi più ." (Then you better hope you never see me again.) Nico said with a smirk. Trevor laughed at that.

"Addio !" (Farewell!) Nico waved goodbye, and walked to the nearest alleyway. Making sure nobody was around, he melted into the shadows and shadow-traveled into his cabin.


	3. Chapter 3: You are loved, Nico

Nico stumbled as he emerged from the shadows into his cabin. Woah. He steadied himself. He had gotten much better at travelling, but this time he was unfocused, and exhausted himself.  
He walked to the pavilion. It was about dinner time, and Nico was always hungry after shadow-traveling recklessly. He was tired, and got to his plate, wishing into existence a plate of barbecue. He scooped some into the brazier, and sat down to eat. Halfway through his meal, he realized that Chiron was looking at him worriedly. He gave Chiron a look to say "I'm fine, just tired." Chiron nodded. Nico sat alone. Even though Chiron changed the rules and allowed people to sit where they wanted, Nico mostly sat alone. Sometimes he'd sit with Leo or Jason or Will, visit Rachel or Calypso, or he'd just eat on the hillside. It was peaceful. Today, however, he wanted to sit by himself. Nico hadn't realized it, but there was a green splotch on his table. Trevor had been sitting at his table. How must have been painting on the table or something. For the first time in weeks, Nico laughed a bit. Genuine laughter, that left the tables around him in shock. Who knew Nico Di Angelo could laugh without being bitter? He finished his meal, and reported to Chiron. The old centaur's eyes twinkled to see Nico was happy for once, even if only for a short while.

"We were lucky that nothing happened while you were gone. I was beginning to worry." Chiron smiled uneasily. "Percy and Jason Iris-Messaged me about twenty minutes ago, and they're on their way back. They'll be here in about five minutes. Piper has found all the pegasi, but she isn't going to return for a couple more hours. And Leo has almost made it to his aunt Rosa's." Nico nodded. He knew he'd have to wait for Jason. Internally he groaned. He was not looking forward to this conversation. He hated it when Jason bothered to try and make him feel better (well, okay, Nico did find it endearing it sometimes, but it just became overbearing). So Nico laid down on the grass next to the pavilion, awaiting the return of Jason. Soon enough he spotted Percy flying on Blackjack and Jason coming in like blonde superman. A ridiculous image of Jason in a superman suit popped into Nico's head. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Jason and Percy swooped down, and touched the ground.

"Well, miracles do come true!" Chiron exclaimed. "Looks like you two finally learned how to work together without arguing." Percy pouted.

"Aw, come on Chiron, you know it was only Thalia and me who had that problem." Jason raised an eyebrow quizzically. Chiron shook his head at Jason as if to say _I'll explain it later._

"Anyway, Jason, I think you wanted to talk to Nico?" Chiron gestured behind him to Nico, who was laid out lazily against the sloped grass. Jason looked worriedly at Nico, and nico flashed an irritated glance at Chiron as if to say _thanks a lot._

"Yeah, thanks Chiron." Chiron led Percy away to the lake to help him with his archery. Nico could hear Percy complain from a distance: "You know I'll never get any better at archery!"

Nico looked at the sky. It was a beautiful day, but he didn't really care much for that. He hadn't realized Jason had started talking.

"-and I think that you should come to meet the new campers."

"Uh, what?"

"You should meet the new campers. It would be good to have them get to know all the senior members of the camp."

"Jason, you realize that you're one of them, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But I'm a special case."

"Yeah."

"Nico?"

"Mmm?"

"Do I irritate you?" Nico turned to Jason?

"W-what? Why do you think that?"

"Nico. Tell me, do I or do I not irritate you? Do you resent me?"

"I-I.. Well…. Sometimes, yes." Nico deflated a little bit, and Jason just sighed.

"Thank you Nico." Nico looked at Jason surprised. Jason laughed at his expression. "I'm thankful because you didn't lie about it. It could be worse. You could always hate me and simply tolerate me because you don't want to leave camp." Nico laughed harshly at that.

"Jason, what are you trying to get out of this conversation?"

"Well, I want to know how you're doing, for one, and I would like to let you know how we all care about you." Nico was about to respond when Jason cut him off with a look. "Nico, I think I know what was bothering you earlier, and I want to let you know that I really do care. No matter how much you really think that nobody cares, we do. And I really just want you to be happy and feel loved."

"Jason… I…" Nico had tears in his eyes. He wiped them furiously, and forced deep breaths. Jason kept speaking

"Remember what I said, at the palace of Notus?" Nico recalled it well.

"You said back then I hid unnecessarily and I should take a chance and believe that you were my friend." Nico resented those words so much but after a long time he accepted the fact that they were true. Especially when Will Solace sort of yelled at him about not feeling accepted. Jason nodded.

"Yes, well, I still believe you're having trouble changing from that state. You're still afraid, Nico. There's no need to be afraid. We're all right here." Nico scrunched up his face for a moment, but couldn't hold back his sobs anymore. His pained expression turned to helpless sadness. He curled up, and began to weep for the second time in one day. Jason embraced Nico, letting him cry. Despite the fact that Nico didn't usually like being touched, he seemed to be making an exception. Or maybe he was so distraught that he couldn't tell Jason was holding him. _Is this really how they feel about me? _Nico forced himself to breathe. _Deep breaths_. Nico wiped his eyes.

"Thank you Jason." Nico's eyes held a mixture of sadness and a sparkle of wonder and happiness. Jason smiled down at him.

"Just remember, Nico. If you ever feel bad, you can tell me. Or if I've made you mad, just talk to Leo. Despite his silly demeanor, he is quite capable of being serious and helping others." Nico smiled a bit. Hazel more or less had said the same of Leo.

"Maybe another time, then."

"Yeah." Jason stood, and helped Nico to his feet. "Hey, Leo told me to show you what he'd found and tinkered with for a couple days."

"Huh? Chiron said it was one of Leo's inventions." Jason shook his head.

"Nope, Leo found it, and he wanted tell you something about it. He was pretty serious about the whole thing, and he didn't want anyone to mess with it until you saw it. I wonder what it was." Nico pondered this. What could Leo have found that he would show Nico first? Something was definitely going on. Nico shook his head.

"Sorry Jason, but I think if it's really so important that he'd better show me himself. I'll wait for him to return tomorrow." Jason looked at Nico and frowned.

"Are you sure? He said he'd actually quite like for me to show you instead of him."

"Yeah, I'm sure. If it's such a big deal then he can show me himself." Jason sighed. He gave Nico one more hug and walked off.

"If you change your mind, just let me know!" Nico turned to the direction of his cabin, then decided he probably shouldn't go to bed so early. He turned to look upon the giant doghouse that belonged to Ms. O'Leary. He lightly treaded to the building that contained the world's friendliest (not to mention the largest) hellhound. Nico peered inside. Ms. O'Leary perked up when she saw Nico, but unlike most times, she didn't jump up and tackle Nico. In this instance she gave off a dog grin that Nico couldn't help but smile to. He walked over and scratched her behind the ears.

"Hey girl." Nico hugged the dog's neck. "How's your day been, huh? Relaxing?" Ms. O'Leary barked happily, and nudged Nico. "Oh." When she poked him in the chest it could only mean she was offering to take him shadow traveling. "Well, I'm not sure about that right now." Ms. O'Leary whined and gave Nico the big brown dog eyes that melted the heart of even the crabbiest people, even Nico. "Oh, alright fine. Where do you want to go?" Ms. O'Leary perked pointed her snout towards the ocean, or maybe whatever was beyond that. "Uh, what?" Ms. O'Leary nudged him again. "Oh, fine." Nico climbed upon the giant hellhound. Ms. O'Leary barked, probably to warn Nico she was taking off, and fast. Nico didn't mind fast. Shadow travel may be dangerous, but so was Nico, and so were the monsters that threatened the camp. Danger didn't scare anyone in this camp. Danger was normal.

So off Ms. O'Leary sprinted, out of the doghouse, past the pavilion, picking up speed to blow past the volleyball court, past the vineyard and the cabins, to sprint full speed to the biggest shadow in camp: the one behind the lava wall. Into the shadows they melted. For a moment Nico felt almost weightless. There was whispering everywhere. There was no light, and wind was tearing at his face. Even though shadow travel was extremely dangerous, Nico felt somehow _safer _in this strange darkness. Ms. O'Leary leaped up high, and out of the darkness they emerged.

* * *

**Yaaaaawn. Man, I'm tired rn. Sorry if I misspelled or grammared wrong. Anyway, I'm gonna pull this drawn-out beginning to a close soon. Sorry Homestuck fans but you'll have to wait just a little longer for Leo to return (Or will you :D) Later! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Rose

A young lady lays on her bed, listening to her computer as it plays soft orchestral music. She closes her eyes as the music flows throughout her old room, filling it with nostalgia and memories. She closes her eyes to rest a minute, and to take a break from this reality she's been living in. What is her name?

Rose Lalonde

Rose Lalonde opens her eyes at the mention of her name. Confusedly, she looks around, then apparently shrugs it off and lays back down. For now, we better not speak in underlined words, especially if invoking a character's name. Names have power. Don't forget that. Now I guess you'll want me to leave you in a third-person perspective, huh? As you wish, and farewell, I hope I have made a decent host.

You are now Rose Lalonde

Rose twitched once again. She felt like someone, or _something _was invoking her presence. This wasn't even a voice in her head. It was… something else. Something…. Outside of Sburb.

_Where did that thought come from?_ She thought, confused. After a moment she came to the conclusion that she should probably get some sleep. After all, a lack of sleep could cause delusion and hallucinations.

Rubbing her eyes, Rose set her computer to play soft piano and viola duets for a few hours, and laid back down on her bed. She gazed at the ceiling, imagining the possibilities the future could hold. She imagined the first gate in it's glory, swirling and always changing, like the world around her had.

Rose closed her eyes, and cleared her mind. She cleared it of all of the day's memories, and of her past. She perfected this trick around the time she turned 11. It helped when she didn't want to think about her mother, or how she never got to see her friends, or her _lack_ of friends. After all, she wasn't very sociable. Most people never liked her sarcasm. She cleared these thoughts from her mind as well.

_Sleep. _She thought. And with a final breath, she began to dream.

Rose envisioned a blue wind swirling around her house. It swirled and seemed to be fighting off a black form. Rose would have looked closer but in a dream there would be no need, for she would instantly have a better view. Closer up, the blue wind seemed to be splitting itself apart and buffeting the dark shape. The shady figure suddenly turned a dark green as the wind turned into a blue figure of John, only slightly older and… More distinguished. This John had no face, but if he did, it would probably be pretty handsome. Windy John punched the green figure in the face, over and over again until she tried rushing over to make it stop.

There was a flash of orange light and swore she could've seen the outline of a sun, when Windy John turned into pure lightning and disappeared with a flash. She looked over at the green man but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, and saw a sparkling gear on the ground in her front yard. She flew to the mystery gear, but within 5 feet of the gear it flashed with a red light and transported her to a cage in the sky. Rose started to panic at this point, until she noticed what was going on below her. Another her, wearing orange with hood on, flying towards a certain blue John and green figure.

She watched the events she'd just lived through happen again, and watched as something new happened: a green dog with a pulsing green spiral of some sort on its back spiraled out of the flash of light, flying into the clouds. The dog glowed a light green, and her cage disappeared. She began to fall towards the black abyss, and each figure fell alongside her, mocking her.

"Fly, seer."

"Can't you fly, little bird?"

"Seer, rise."

"_**Growl.**_"

She noticed the orange her floating towards the red gear. She tried to cry out to her past self, but it was no use. Her voice didn't work. She plummeted to the blackness below, enveloped in darkness. She couldn't fly. As she lost sight of the only home she knew, the figures collectively howled in pain and became a boy dressed in an old aviator's jacket and black jeans. She did not care to have another figure harass her, so the simply turned over and stared at the darkness to see her death, when he grabbed her by the waist and raised her up. She felt herself being lifted.

A new shape appeared in the sky, in the shape of… a spiked ball? Or maybe it was a spiked skull? It frightened her, but it just emanated some dark energy that strengthened her rescuer. She was thrown into the air and landed on her front lawn. Her rescuer was nowhere to be found. The dark figure in the sky was gone. She looked to her house, and it was _there. _On the front door, it glowed next to an orange sun that seemed to correspond and blend with it.

The strange combination floated towards her, and took the form of the boy from earlier. He stumbled and fell at her feet. Horrified, she reached down towards him, to notice her arms were gray and rapidly becoming darker. She ran to her nearest window, and saw she was bathed in a black aura. Her skin was a darker color than she had ever seen, and her eyes were pure white. She turned around, and the boy loomed over her.

"Rose, you're in a lot of trouble." And with those happy words, she woke up.


	5. Chapter 5: John, think about friends

Be John Egbert

You look about with mild irritation. Ever since your thirteenth birthday, you've been hearing voices. Today marks one week from when you first started playing Sburb, and frankly, you're a little bit tired of things going on in your head. You wish they would go away, but they never would. Take a break, sure. But the voices never really left for good. You learned not to get your hopes up too high because they would always be shattered in this game.

_Wow. _You think. _Something's definitely wrong with me. _It's only been a week and the game has already gotten to you. _Well, who wouldn't feel just a tad bit overwhelmed in this situation? _You think back to the beautiful Earth. You think about your old neighborhood, the plain, large houses making a warm community that all kids loved the be in under the warm sun and beautiful blue sky. You never really did much in your thirteen years. You are now starting to regret missing the cul-de-sac parties or the afterschool clubs and activities of which you never signed up for.

This makes you think of your only friends Dave Rose and Jade. Dave, you know was always the popular one, but you didn't actually know about many of his friends. He was kind of too ironic to have a best friend besides you. Nobody else could ever get close enough to him; his stoic facade was always the best there ever was. You sigh. Dave was always quite the enigma, and that probably was never going to change. You wish you could beat this game quicker and get to see Dave sometime soon.

Jade never went to school. She lived on an island in the middle of the FREAKING OCEAN. You suppose it could be worse, but she had it just a little bit harsh. No wonder she was always so cheerful when chatting online with you. She simply couldn't be anything but happy when chatting with her only friends... Wow. You never gave it much thought, but you suppose the phrase 'money can't buy you happiness' is true. No matter how rich Jade was, you're willing to bet that she was always a lonely soul. Maybe that was also why she was always asleep. You blink in quiet sadness and understanding. _Oh jade… _You are starting to regret never being there for her. She never brought up the topic with you, and due to her naturally optimistic nature, you never had any reason to suspect of her any sadness. You set a resolve to speak to Jade sometime soon. Then there was Rose.

Oh. If anyone in the group, Rose was the best composed and the least innocent. She despised her mother. She lived in constant self-hatred and anguish. Even someone as clueless as you could figure that out. After all, she was one of your best friends. You know Rose never did like her past. Always having strife sessions with her dreaded mother, wandering an empty house without the company of her favorite feline, Jaspers. Rose had never been popular at school, and nobody had even bothered to make friends with her. She had been _that kid, _the one with the overly-intelligent presence and the serious expression always on her face. She hardly smiled and laughed even less. She was always reading some book, and wearing dark colors, but not even anyone remotely punk or metal would go near Rose. She was a sort of terrifying force to be reckoned with. You remember her telling you of a time some guy showed up to school high as hell, with his eyes completely bloodshot and his demeanor very unpleasant. Ah, yes. The day Rose terrified the entire school. Rose was in English class when the guy-you think his name was Noah-decided to burst through the classroom doors, and pointed at Rose.

"YoUUUuuuu tHEre, wiTH thE BooK ANd thE black DreSs." His words were incredibly slurred and confusing, but Rose simply looked up in annoyance.

"I presume this is of some importance? I hope you haven't just come in here to bother the class. If this really is of some urgency then you should probably compose yourself. Nobody's taking you seriously." Noah just stood there for a moment, and took out a knife and half-sprinted across the room to stab Rose, but she simply sighed and grabbed his wrist and shattered it. There was a scream of pain and Noah passed out on the floor. Noah was expelled, much to everyone's relief, but nobody ever dared to go near Rose or bother her again.

Or so that's how you think the story went. Honestly, it didn't really matter. You didn't like the story very much, and therefore you rarely recounted it in your head. Rose didn't really scare you though. She was a good person at heart. You knew this from your very first conversation with her. You wish that she could be as happy as you were. Well, not your _current _level of happiness, but- oh forget it. You wish Rose could be happier. You take out your PDA and begin to message her.

ectoBiologist started pestering tentacleTherapist

EB: Hey Rose! :B

EB: You there?

EB: Oh, I suppose you'll read this later.

EB: I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and I'd like for you and Jade and Dave and me to all hang out sometime!

EB: Just a thought.

EB: I guess I'll be going then.

tentacleTherapist responded to ectoBiologist

TT: No, wait.

EB: Yes?

TT: That sounds like a lovely idea.

TT: Have you told Dave or Jade yet, or were you planning on having me do that job?

EB: Uh, I haven't told Dave or Jade yet, but I'll take care of that.

TT: Are you sure about that?

EB: Of course I am.

TT: And I assume that you'll have something up your sleeves when you meet us?

EB: *wink*

EB: Remember, you are talking to the pranking **master.**

TT: Consider me informed on the matter.

EB: Heh heh. Anyway, I also wanted to know how you've been doing in the game?

TT: What aspect of it do you wish to know about?

EB: Well, I've been hearing voices, and they don't seem natural.

EB: Like they shouldn't belong there?

EB: Some of them seem somewhat natural.

EB: I wonder if I'm going insane.

EB: That's a scary thought.

EB: But what about you?

TT: Me?

EB: Yeah, do you hear voices too?

TT: Well, yes, I do. In fact I've been thinking the same things you have.

EB: About the unnatural voices?

TT: Yes. I had a strangely lucid dream recently and I was called Seer.

TT: I feel like that is a rather important title, but it's much too early to be making these kinds of assumptions in the game.

EB: Yeah, I suppose.

EB: One more question.

TT: Yes, what is it John?

EB: Have you ever heard of the Greek gods?

* * *

**Ending this here because I want to torture people. :D **


	6. Chapter 6: The treasure chest

Introducing- Leo Valdez!

Leo fidgeted with his seatbelt nervously. He was finally coming home to the only place he could really call home: Camp Half-blood. He'd left his magic tool belt at camp, and therefore he had nothing to occupy his ever-agitated hands. _It was the only option,_ Leo thought sadly. Of course it wouldn't be a good idea to show mortals the magic tool belt and randomly pull out a hammer or breath mint. He wasn't exactly sure how the mist could cover that. If only he could control the mist like Hazel could. _Nah. _Leo thought. _I wouldn't trade anything for my hella sweet fire powers._

Leo gazed out of the window, anxiously awaiting the bend in the road where he would be able to see Thalia's tree. _Damn, that girl is scary, _Leo thought. He remembered his first meeting with Jason's sister. It hadn't gone well and Leo, as usual, made a complete fool of himself flirting with the hunters. _Good times. _Leo thought happily. He made a mental note to craft the Apollo cabin some new bows. Their father was still being held captive by Zeus, and Apollo's children were all still pretty hung up about it. _I'm feeling generous today, _Leo thought. He sat there for another good ten minutes before he saw Thalia's tree.

"Oi, right here is good." The cabbie looked at Leo confused.

"You sure, kid? There isn't much around here." Leo grinned.

"I know of a strawberry farm down that way." Leo pointed to Thalia's tree. "Now here's your money." Leo handed over a few hundred dollars, putting the cabbie in shock.

"Uh, kid, this is one-hundred-seventeen dollars and thirty-six cents more than what you need to pay." Leo winked.

"Bit of a tip. Have some fun." Leo promptly got out of the cab, walked past Thalia's tree, and disappeared into the forest.

Nico:

Nico sighed, sprawled on the ground. He'd been waiting for Leo to return in front of the bunker for about an hour.

"This sucks." Nico muttered. That pretty summed up the tie he was having. He was, undoubtedly, for the first time in years, bored. Gods, he hadn't felt that way since before Bianca died. Boredom came from an active mind, which was strange for him, since he didn't care to think properly unless in battle. _Yeah, I suppose I've been a little depressed._ _Depression blocks out boredom. _Nico sighed. He was tired of waiting. He stood up and began to walk off towards camp when he heard a certain flame boy call out: "HEY DEATH BOY"

"Valdez, I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that anymore." Nico gave his signature death glare. Leo laughed and rubbed Nico on the head, causing a flinch and awkward sort of flail. Nico glared at Leo. "And don't touch me."

"Yeah, your glares aren't working very well today. Your eyes sparkle with excitement, my friend. How long have you been waiting?" Nico sighed and replied.

"Not much longer than an hour. What did you want to show me?" Leo's eyes lit up.

"Follow me, death boy." Nico scowled but followed regardless. Leo set his fiery palm to the door and opened it. The two walked into the bunker, and Leo turned on the lights. "Now Nico, would you do the honors and activate Festus?" Nico nodded and walked over to the bronze suitcase. On the top was a simple bronze button. Nico pressed it, and watched as Festus began to creak and unfold back to life before him." Festus looked at Nico, and made a confused creaking. Nico put a hand on his head, and pointed to Leo.

"Hey, buddy. Leo's over there." Festus creaked excitedly. Leo grinned wide and shut off the lights. The darkness didn't really bother Nico -being a son of Hades, he had natural night vision- but the fact that Leo, the pranking master shut off the lights was enough to terrify him.

"Dammit, Leo, I'm not in the mood for games today. Did you actually have something to show me or not?" Leo lit a tiny flame on his index finger and nodded.

"Follow me to the other room." Nico had never seen another room, but he didn't question it as he and Festus followed Leo to the opposite end of the bunker, where Leo placed his fingertip to an indention in the wall. The entire wall opened like sliding doors, and another section opened up, just as big as Nico thought the bunker was before this wall opened up. Only, this one was completely empty except for a single beat-up treasure chest, chained up to the walls, the floor, and covered in locks.

"Uh, Leo? What is this and why can I feel death radiating from it?"

"It's something I need your help with." Leo's voice seemed somewhat off, but Nico was a bit distracted by the amount of death radiating from the chest. He could sense thousands, no, millions of souls concealed in the chest. And then he looked at Leo. The mechanic's face was displaying a disturbingly interested expression, almost like he was enjoying the feeling emanating from the chest. _That's impossible, _Nico thought. _Leo hates death_. _After all, he did die himself._ "Leo."

"Mmhmm?"

"You need to leave now."

"But you're finally here! We have to figure out what this is! We need to free it!" Leo's tone took on a dangerously desperate tone. It sounded like acid smelled, and that was enough to convince Nico to get him out.

"FESTUS! GET LEO OUT OF HERE!" Festus, as usual, obeyed and picked up Leo and Nico, pulling them away and shutting the large panel doors. Leo instantly doubled over, coughing violently. Nico walked over to Leo to help him, but Leo held up a hand.

"I'm alright. The chest caught me off-guard again. Voices always appear in my mind every time that I go near that stupid thing. It's almost like mind control, and every time they get more persistent. And I wanted to run a test with you." Nico squinted. This didn't sound good, but then again, did any of Leo's plans ever work?

"I'm listening." Leo beamed.

"I knew I could count on you!" He bounced up and down excitedly. Nico was about to object that he hadn't agreed yet, but Leo continued. "I figured you wouldn't be affected by the amount of death radiating from the box, but that's not exactly what I want to test. But since you got me out, I'd guess that you weren't hearing any voices." Nico nodded. "Alright, now, I have thing left to figure out. I need your help to, well, in a sense speak to the voices, sort of like how you do with the dead. If you are willing, and can even speak to the voices, then I need your help." Nico stared at Leo.

"There are two things I want to know first. One, are you alluding to the fact that I'm insane? I swear, Valdez, one day I will send you to my father and _personally _make sure you suffer. Two, how important is this to you if you've come straight here instead of seeing Calypso?" Leo fidgeted with his fingers nervously.

"Well, no, I don't think you're insane as much as you are a little messed up in the head." Nico punched Leo in the chest. Squeaking, Leo continued. "I didn't finish! I was going to say that we're all a bit crazy. And this is very important to me. That's why I wanted you to wait here. I will see Calypso as soon as I'm done here, which shouldn't be too long. I don't want her knowing about this kind of thing, and when I get back to her, she's going to ask what I plan on doing for the rest of the day. Obviously I'll spend the day with her." Nico sighed, exasperated.

"Leo, I may be a bitter old man-"Leo raised an eyebrow, and Nico punched his arm lightly-"but at least I know what the basis of a bad relationship. You can't hide this from her. Besides, she can look into the past, remember?" Leo flinched, and then sighed, defeated.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll let her know soon. But I need your help first. Please, Nico." Nico looked into Leo's eyes and saw that he was serious about this. Well, then again, Leo wasn't making jokes, so he was pretty sure Leo was serious.

"Alright. I'll spend five minutes in that room, alone. And then, you're going to explain what they told you, and you're going to let Calypso know what is going on. Deal?" Nico held out a hand. Leo hesitated, but took the hand regardless.

"Deal." They got up, and Leo opened up the room. Nico, as quickly as possible, walked into the room, had Leo shut it, and then walked over to the chest. He tapped it's top, and was instantly assaulted by a disembodied voice.

**You are undecided.** Nico stumbled, but stood fast. **You are different. You were born to darkness through the light. Nico Di Angelo, there has never been a hero of both light and of doom in one body. You are undecided.** Nico cocked his head to the side confusedly. He recognized the thing wasn't speaking any language a human should know, but he understood anyway.

_What are you talking about? And how do you know my name?_ The voice took in a deep breath, and boomed a loud message.

**You are plagued by your past. You are in fear of your future. The present is your enemy, yet you manage to find purpose. You are undecided. Choose, Angel. Choose! Nico pressed his palms to his head.**

_I'd love to banter with you, but could you just speak quieter? I need to maintain my sanity. _All went silent for a moment, and then the voice let out a loud cackle.

**SANITY?! THERE IS NO SUCH THING! HAHAHAHA! YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT! The voice quieted a bit, however. Still, I have a purpose for your being here. You have yet to realize your destiny. There is much for you to do. So very much. However, it seems that our five minutes is coming to a close. If you have any questions, ask your mechanic friend to keep you here for another ten minutes.** Nico hesitated, but nodded.

_I think I'll do that._

"HEY LEO!" Nico shouted. "I NEED TO STAY FOR ANOTHER TEN MINUTES! IF I ASK FOR ANY MORE TIME, DON'T LISTEN TO ME AND GET ME OUT!" Nico heard a muffled, 'sure thing boss' on the other side, and rolled his eyes.

_What do I need to know? _The voice boomed.

**It will be easier to explain somewhere else. I will now transport your conscience somewhere else. Brace yourself.** Nico didn't have time to object before his mind was torn from his body. The room around him spun, and exploded, then faded to black. He pressed his conscience-hands up to his conscience-head and cringed. He felt as if it had just been stabbed by a knife repeatedly. Not that he knew exactly how that felt, really. He was assuming that's what it felt like.

A small disk fizzled into existence in front of him. It looked like a miniature version of an old-fashioned record disk. He touched it cautiously, and instantly regretted it. The world around him exploded into color, flashing brightly into the eyes of a headache-ridden son of Hades, furthering his torment. When his vision cleared and his ears stopped ringing, Nico looked around to see a city of gold. No, like literally. The entire city was colored golden. The pavement, the windows, the buildings, everything. Nico realized he was standing on top a tall tower. And that he was wearing golden pajamas. Strangely, he felt light, like he could float up into the beautiful blue sky. Then he noticed the clouds. He saw his past, his friend's pasts, and possibly his future in those clouds. He felt like he could watch those clouds forever. Then, on a tower a couple hundred yards away, a disk fizzled into existence and began to glow. Then Nico realized he was floating. To say he flipped his shit was an understatement. But for lack of better words, Nico Di Angelo flipped his shit. In the process, he managed to flip himself around about a billion times but not go in any direction. Fires and miniature explosions and miniature suns appeared around him. This caused him to flip his shit even more.

This went on for another minute.

Anyway, when Nico regained his composure, he tried to fly towards the disk. Slowly but surely, he did. He floated over to the disk, and though he didn't really want to, he touched the disk. He cried out in pain as the world was ripped from his sight and the world turned pitch black again. His head throbbed in agony. A single tear leaked from each of Nico's eyes. This was agonizing. He sat there-wherever there was-and trembled for a moment to regain his mind. Well, technically, he wasn't a tangible being. He was just a stupid consciousness that felt like a body. Once Nico could stand, he did. He looked around and it was nighttime. There were countless stars in the sky, and each one twinkled softly. He looked around and the city was much like the golden city, only everything was a dark purple. It had a slightly more dangerous look, however. He didn't want to see another damned disk appear.

_Why did that thing think my mind was strong enough to endure that stupid torture, anyway? _Nico twitched. Then a voice boomed into his mind.

**I AM NOT A THING, NICO DI ANGELO. DO NOT TREAT ME AS SUCH. MY NAME IS OGLOGOTH.** Nico twitched irritably.

_I already asked you to stop yelling so loud, geez. _Nico paused. _Wait… Oglogoth? Your name seems familiar… _Nico's mind snapped to an old book his father gave him as a child, full of demons and monsters. _You're a horrorterror._

**Correct. There is much I have to explain to you now. The golden city was known as Prospit, the world of Gold. This world is Derse, the world of Purple. The chest was brought to your world by the people in this blasted game. I am nothing but a messenger, a simple dying breath. Nico Di Angelo. It is up to you to fix the- no, it is up to you to keep everyone alive and well and fix the timeline. You must start anew. Sgod will be your session. Live, Di Angelo. LIVE AND FIX THIS EXISTENCE! MY FINAL MESSAGE TO YOU, DI ANGELO, OPEN THE CHEST! INSIDE, YOU WILL FIND A TREASURE! WHEN YOU ARE READY, BRING YOUR GROUP, AND BEGIN YOUR SESSION! GOOD LUCK MAGE OF LIGHT, HEIR OF DOOM, NICO DI ANGELO! **And with that, the voice left his mind and Nico found himself alone in a dark room with a chest holding his future..

* * *

**Req here! Sorry about the wait, I thought maybe I could find my old writing, but no. I really do have to rewrite every single word. Oh well, at least I can fix some holes in the plot. I promise to update more. Let me know what you think, please! I hope you guys have a fantastic day. Req out.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Greek gods are real?

**Rose:**

Rose once again found herself lying on her bed staring at her ceiling, but this time for a different reason. She was completely blown away at the moment. _Greek gods? Real? _Rose often entertained her mind with thoughts of myths and legends, but she was freaking out. Something inside her told her (no, not a voice) that somehow the Greek gods weren't part of this game. Then she remembered that boy in her dream. He seemed out of place as well. Well, besides the fact that there were only four remaining humans alive, seven if you counted Dave's bro, your mom and John's dad. _Who knows where they are.. I wonder if they're all still alive. I mean, our homes did get zapped and John did say his dad was taken…_ Rose pondered this, unsure. _Maybe these Greek gods have something to do with it. And that boy. Is he a god? _Rose shook her head. He didn't seem like a god, but honestly Rose didn't know and her head was hurting from taking in everything about the game.

As much as she wanted to dream, she knew that she should probably stay awake instead of deal with another nightmare. Besides, she had a game to beat. Rose stood up as tall as she could, and then instantly fell back onto her bed, dizzy. _Stood up too quickly. _Rose breathed deeply for a moment, letting the oxygen flow to her head, and stood back up. She sighed, and picked up her book from the floor: The Guide To Summoning The Zoologically Dubious. She began to read, and became slightly worried. _If the Greek gods are real, who's to say that horrorterrors don't exist? _She became too distracted by her thoughts and worries to keep reading. It got the point where she flung the book across her bed and sprawled across the floor. Closing her eyes, she let her imagination take flight. Words appeared in her mind, and she felt compelled to write them on paper. Taking her notebook out of her sylladex, she began to write.

_In a game where we all coexist_

_A place in reality of fights and flights._

_I shall cover my eyes in mist,_

_Just to find the knights and arrows of others' blights._

_No matter what we learn_

_No matter what we're taught,_

_There is always something to earn,_

_Something of memories that were burned_

_A clash of worlds and lives_

_The jagged crystal scars of the future becoming real_

_A slash at innocent hearts with sharp knives,_

_For a chance to reveal a future with zeal_

Rose stopped writing as her writing became consistently darker. She captchalogued the notebook, and walked to her window. _Seer, huh? I wonder if that means I can see the future._ Rose stared out the window into the unusually clear blue sky. Then she noticed a black dot in the sky. It slowly grew bigger until Rose realized that something was falling. Alarmed, she opened up her window and got to the top of her house. _Is that another meteor?! _Rose panicked a little bit. _I thought those were only falling on Earth! _Instead of being confused, however, Rose panicked a little more. She took out her necklace, and called Jaspersprite.

**Meow :3 What is it that you need, Rose?**

"WHAT IS THAT IN THE SKY? IS IT ANOTHER METEOR?"

**Oh, no. :3 That isn't part of the game. That's one of those Greek gods, come to our universe. **Rose caught her breath, and then replied quietly.

"Wh-what god is that? And why is it coming to me?" Jaspersprite let off a catlike grin, and meowed.

**That is Hades, the god of the underworld. :3 As for why he's here, I don't really know. I do know, however, that he isn't going to hurt you. :3 **Rose relaxed for a moment, then tensed back up.

"If he won't harm me, then what could he possibly want? Does he need a favor? Wait a minute. Jaspers, how did you know that is Hades?" Jaspersprite rubbed his face.

**Well, Rose, I do know some things. As a sprite, it is my job to know things. :3 Do not worry, Hades won't harm you. And I'll protect you even if he tries.**

"Thanks Jaspers." Rose laughed dryly. "Let us pray we can beat a god, if need be."

**Meow.**

The two waited as the far-off dot in the sky became more shapely, and came down to meet them. A miniature black comet slammed into Rose's front yard. A man, with slick, pulled-back greased hair kneeled. He looked up to Rose. _He's pale. He looks both sickly and smug. Is this really a god?_ The man on the ground chuckled, and began to grow. He grew ten, then twenty feet taller.

"Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi, how ya doin'?"

* * *

**Short chapter. Seeya soon :P **

**-Req**


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